Kevin VanDam ices third Classic win with dominating performance at Lay Lake
The 40th annual Bassmaster Classic held Feb. 19-21 on Lay Lake in Birmingham, Ala., went down as one of the most challenging in recent times. Haunted by cold, muddy water and a finicky bite, many of the nation's top bass pros stunk up the house as they struggled with Lay Lake's stubborn bass from start to finish.
Denny Brauer, a former Classic champ, didn't land a fish. Boyd Duckett, the home-state favorite from nearby Demopolis who won the 2007 Classic on Lay, brought only one keeper to the scales. Skeet Reese, the 2007 BASS Angler of the Year and 2009 Classic champ from Auburn, Calif., managed just three bass in two days of competition.
Only a handful of anglers got dialed in and really figured them out. Not surprisingly, Kevin VanDam was among them.
In typical KVD style, the BASS all-time leading money winner and five-time BASS AOY put together a near flawless performance that shocked the bass fishing world and left everyone in it scratching their heads and asking the $500,000 question, "How the heck does he do it?"
Some say VanDam is an iceman with nerves of steel who never sways under pressure. Others contend that he is not from this planet.
I say he is a true champion, a master of a demanding trade that hinges on uncertainties and quirky factors that are forever changing, sometimes from one minute to the next. Though he is always a threat, VanDam seemingly fishes unconsciously in tough-bite tournaments. Somehow, someway, he always manages to put together a viable game plan that will put him in contention for the trophy. More importantly, he executes those plans with surgical precision, more often than not without error.
VanDam rarely makes a bad call. Perhaps the most important he made in the 2010 Classic was to put all his marbles in a tiny stretch of water in the back of Beeswax Creek and to mine it for all it was worth.
Although he had other spots, his gut told him the scattered patches of coontail grass in Beeswax held the most promise for kicking out the winning fish. He followed his intuitions and camped on the spot for the duration of the tournament. The decision paid off handsomely.
In three days the 42-year-old angler caught three limits that collectively weighed 51 pounds, 6 ounces to nail down his third Bassmaster Classic victory in 20 years on tour. Only one other angler -- four-time winner Rick Clunn -- has claimed the trophy more than twice.
The pro from Kalamazoo, Mich., registered the two heaviest sacks of the tournament, including a 19-7 limit in the final round that catapulted him past Day 2 leader Jeff Kriet of Ardmore, Okla., by a cushy, 5-pound margin.
The win, worth $500,000 in cash, gives VanDam more than $4.1 million in career earnings -- roughly $1.8 million more than Brauer, the No. 2 BASS all-time money winner.
To put KVD's accomplishments into perspective, consider:
* VanDam has competed in 222 BASS events and won 17 of them. He as 85 Top 10 finishes and 136 Top 20s. On average, he wins $18,700 per tournament.
* He has not missed qualifying for the Bassmaster's Classic since turning pro in 1991.
* In 20 Classics, KVD has 12 Top 10 finishes while failing to make the Top 20 only four times.
Jasper's Todd Faircloth hasn't been at it quite as long as VanDam has, but the personable Texas pro is steadily making a name for himself in big league bass arenas. Faircloth made the best showing of the eight Texans who qualified for the Classic. The 34-year-old pro finished third at 44-3 and collected a $40,000 check. It was Faircloth's eighth Classic appearance since turning pro in 1996 and his best Classic finish since placing fifth in 2001 on the Louisiana Delta in New Orleans.
Here's are rundown on how the other Texans finished: Takahiro Omori, Mineola, 10th; James Niggemeyer, Van, 18th; Alton Jones, Waco, 27th; Bryan Schmidt, Olney, 30th; Gary Klein, Weatherford, 32nd; Byron Velvick, Del Rio, 34th; and Kelly Jordon, Mineola, 35th.
Another Classic notable, Pam Martin-Wells of Bainbridge, GA., finished 22nd and became the first woman in the history of the sport to qualify to fish the final day of the event. Martin-Wells actually lead the tournament momentarily on Day 1 and was the first angler to box a limit all three days.
Matt Williams' e-mail address is mattwilliams@netdot.com.
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